From show-stopping tiaras, to pricey engagement rings, it’s no secret that The Royal Family have an impressive collection of jewels to their name.
But, what most people don’t know is that over the years, the female members have altered their jewellery items to create new one-of-a-kind pieces, with everyone from The Queen, to Princess Diana putting a new spin on their favourite trinkets.
It’s not a new concept either. When the Queen Mother got engaged to King George VI in 1923, she was presented with a shining sapphire ring with diamond accents, but later decided to have it changed to an entirely different design.
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon swapped out the sapphire ring for a large, lavish pearl with diamonds surrounding it. The Royal is seen sporting the statement piece in this image from 1990, which she accessorised with matching pearl drop earrings and pearl necklace.
Despite The Queen Mother ditching her original design, sapphire rings have proven to be popular amongst future royal brides. When Princess Diana got engaged to Prince Charles in 1981, she selected her own ring – an 18-carat white gold design featuring a beautiful 12-carat blue sapphire, with 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding it.
Diana’s iconic ring, which is adored by people all over the world, was later passed down to The Duchess of Cambridge, when Prince William popped the question in 2010.
When Charles purchased the stand-out accessory for his bride-to-be, it was said to be worth £28,500, which would make it worth a whopping £123,000 today. In 2017 however, it was valued at an eye-watering amount of £300,000.
Unlike The Queen Mother, Kate didn’t make any major changes to her ring. Instead, she had it resized, as it was slightly too big for her. To avoid damaging the sentimental piece, The Duchess went to a jeweller, who instead of breaking and resoldering the ring, they reduced its diameter by adding small platinum beads in the band.
When Prince Harry asked Meghan Markle for her hand in marriage in 2017, the five-carat ring he proposed with was made with two diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection and one specially sourced from Botswana.
Although a lot of thought went into the ring, Harry later decided to have it re-designed for the couple’s first wedding anniversary. It originally featured a plane gold band, but he had it replaced with a smaller micropavé one, with added gems to celebrate their growing family
The Royal Family are known for sharing and passing down jewellery, and Kate in particular is often seen sporting pieces from Princess Diana’s collection, including a pair of double-drop earrings that William inherited when his mother died in 1997.
Diana was known for wearing the lavish earrings, which were said to be part of a wedding gift given to her by the Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia. They feature two glistening sapphire stones, surrounded by a classic halo of diamonds.
Since receiving the earrings, Kate has refashioned them to suit her own personal style, making them into a much more simple design which she’s seen sporting often. The set matches her sapphire engagement ring perfectly.
Another classic Diana piece that’s been passed along the family is the emerald and diamond necklace she wore for a gala performance at the Vienna Burgh Theatre in April 1986.
The late princess was gifted the family heirloom by the Queen Mother to celebrate her marriage to Prince Charles, but as the item technically belongs to The Queen, it’s since been added to The Duchess Of Cornwall’s collection, who has made her own changes to it.
Camilla has since re-designed the necklace into a dainty diamond brooch, which she has been spotted wearing at a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate Prince Charles’ 50th anniversary as the Prince of Wales.
The iconic design, which has been titled ‘The Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch’, was first introduced into The Royal Family back in 1863 when it was gifted to Princess Alexandra as a wedding present to celebrate her marriage to then, Prince of Wales, King Edward VII.
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